Chapter 80 CHAPTER EIGHTY | SHADOWS OVER CRESCENT

Chapter 80 CHAPTER EIGHTY | SHADOWS OVER CRESCENT
CHAPTER EIGHTY | SHADOWS OVER CRESCENT

DARIUS

The room was a mess. Papers everywhere. Dust thick enough to taste. Broken glass littered the floor like small sharp stars. I didn’t care. My hands were shaking as I read the message again and again, hoping the words would change.

They didn’t.

“The Alpha of Crescent Pack has returned.”

“What do you mean he’s back?” I screamed, my voice tearing through the room. “That’s impossible!”

I grabbed the nearest glass and hurled it against the wall. It shattered, the sound sharp and satisfying. My chest burned. My head throbbed.

I paced like a madman, running my hands through my hair. “No,” I muttered. “No, no, no.”

I grabbed my phone and dialed Tarcuis. He answered on the second ring, calm as always.

“Talk,” I snapped. “Now.”

He chuckled lightly. “I was wondering how long it would take you to call.”

“What does this mean?” I barked. “Ronan was gone. The pack was weak. That was the whole point.”

“You’re missing the better part,” he said. “Aspen is with him.”

My heart skipped. “What?”

“She was never just a boy,” Tarcuis continued. “She was disguising herself in the school. A girl. A dangerous one.”

I felt dizzy. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” he replied. “She’s in the Crescent Pack now. Safe and protected.”

I slammed my fist into the table. “That witch.”

“She’s more than that,” he said calmly. “And now she’s on land you want.”

Silence fell between us.

Then I asked slowly, “What’s the plan?”

“We send assassins,” Tarcuis said without hesitation. “Not loud ones. Quiet. Trained. We test their walls.”

“And if that fails?” I asked.

He laughed softly. “Then we take their land piece by piece. Their borders are old. Their allies are few.”

I stopped pacing. “You want a war.”

“I want ownership,” he corrected. “Their forests. Their mines. Their routes. Crescent Pack sits on wealth they don’t even use properly.”

“And Ronan?” I asked.

“He dies,” Tarcuis said flatly. “Or he runs again. Either way, the throne becomes empty.”

My lips curled into a smile I didn’t feel. “And Aspen?”

There was a pause. “She’s yours,” he said. “Alive. Her power is intact.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “We will strike soon.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “Before they settle. Before the pack fully accepts him.”

I looked around the ruined room and felt something dark settle in my chest. “This time,” I said, “we won't fail.”

Tarcuis’ voice dropped. “We won’t. Crescent Pack will fall, and when it does, everything they own becomes ours.”

I ended the call and stared at the broken glass on the floor.

Ronan was back.

But this land war was just beginning.

The door creaked softly behind me.

I didn’t turn at first. I was still staring at the broken glass on the floor, still hearing Tarcuis’ voice echo in my head. Crescent Pack. Ronan. Aspen. The names burned.

“Master,” a soft voice called.

I knew that voice.

I turned slowly and saw her standing there, wrapped in silk that clung to her skin like it belonged there. One of my concubines. Beautiful. Exotic. Skin smooth, eyes dark and careful. She always moved like she was afraid of breaking something—or someone.

“What do you want?” I asked harshly.

She stepped closer anyway. “The guards said you were angry,” she said gently. “They sent me.”

I laughed, bitter and sharp. “Of course they did.”

She hesitated, then reached for me. Her fingers brushed my arm. Warm. Real. I grabbed her wrist before she could pull away and yanked her closer. She gasped softly but didn’t fight it.

“Look at me,” I ordered.

She lifted her face. Her eyes searched mine, maybe for mercy, maybe for approval. I didn’t know. I didn’t care.

I kissed her hard. Rough. Angry. Not because I wanted her, but because I needed to feel something that wasn’t rage. She stumbled back a step, then leaned into it, hands gripping my clothes. I could taste wine and fear on her lips.

I pulled away abruptly. “Don’t pretend you want this,” I snapped.

She shook her head quickly. “I do,” she whispered. “I want to please you.”

Those words twisted something ugly inside me.

I pushed her gently but firmly toward the couch. “Sit.”

She obeyed at once.

I turned my back to her and poured myself another drink, hands still shaking. I took a long swallow, then another. The burn helped. A little.

“They think I’m weak,” I said suddenly.

She didn’t speak.

“They think I’ve lost everything,” I continued. “My children, my control, and my place.”

I turned back to her. “But I’m still here.”

“Yes,” she said softly. “You are.”

I walked closer again and lifted her chin with my fingers. “Do you know what happens to people who underestimate me?”

She swallowed. “They regret it.”

A slow smile crept onto my face. “Good.”

I stepped away and went to the window. Outside, the land stretched wide and dark. Mine. Soon to be more.

“Ronan thinks he’s safe now,” I said. “Back on his land. Surrounded by loyal fools.”

She shifted behind me. “Is he?”

“No,” I answered. “No one is safe.”

I crushed the glass in my hand, not caring when it cut my palm. Blood dripped onto the floor, mixing with wine and glass shards. It felt fitting.

Behind me, she gasped. “You’re hurt.”

I laughed. “This is nothing.”

I wiped my hand on my trousers and turned back to her. “You can stay,” I said. “For now.”

Relief washed over her face.

But my mind was already far away. On borders. On maps. On assassins moving through the dark. On land changing hands.

Since their Alpha had returned.

And this time, I would take everything from him. I promise, and that's what I'll do.

I gulped down another drink as I stared at her breast. She smiled when she saw where my eyes were. She placed her hand in my trousers, and I saw how hard I was getting.

“Come to me.” I smiled.